Margarethe Arndt-Ober

Margarethe Arndt-Ober (b. Berlin, April 15, 1885–d. Bad Sachs, March 17, 1971) was a German opera singer who had an active international career during the first half of the twentieth century. A highly skilled contralto,[1] Ober enjoyed a particularly long and fruitful association with the Berlin State Opera from 1907 to 1944. She also was notably a principal singer at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City between 1913 and 1917.

With news of an imminent declaration of war against Germany circulating among audience members at the April 2, 1917, performance of The Canterbury Pilgrims, spontaneous displays of American patriotism briefly interrupted the performance. Shortly after the opera had resumed, Ober dramatically fainted on stage within full view of the audience.[7] On November 2, 1917, a few days before the opening of the 1917-18 season, the Met cancelled the contracts of several of its German artists, including Ober, citing its right to cancellation reserved for events such as war. Ober sued for $50,000 for breach of contract, maintaining she was "simply an artist." She lost her case, but nevertheless was detained in America until the end of the war.

Outside of Berlin, Ober was a regular performer at the Zoppot Festival, appearing there almost every year from 1922 to 1942.[3] She also made appearances in Spain, the Netherlands, and Norway, and at most of Germany's major opera houses. Her voice is preserved on a number of recordings made on the HMV, Odeon, Parlophon, Pathé, and Victor labels.[2]

^"Met's New Rosenkavalier". New York Times. January 24, 1969. Retrieved 2010-09-24. "Mrs. Clarence H. Mackay, reminiscing the other day, had no trouble remembering the first time she heard a performance of "Der Rosenkavalier." It was on Dec. 9, 1913, and she was in it, creating the role of Sophie in the first Metropolitan Opera production of Richard Strauss's work."